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Once Upon a Time is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on what a story's beginning and ending do for the reader, aligned to Common Core standard RL.2.5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 18 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Once Upon a Time

RL.2.5

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.A story opens "It was the night before the big race." What does this beginning do?
  • A.Tells who won the race
  • B.Ends the story
  • C.Tells the reader when the story happens and hints at what is coming
2.A story ends "...and they lived happily ever after." What does that tell you?
  • A.The story is over and the problem is solved
  • B.Something bad will happen next
  • C.The story is just beginning
3.The middle of a story usually shows what?
  • A.The problem getting bigger and the characters trying to fix it
  • B.The characters living happily ever after
  • C.The title and the author
4.Why do so many old tales start with the same words?
  • A.Readers know at once what kind of story it will be
  • B.Because the writer forgot how to start
  • C.Because the words rhyme
5.A story ends "...and so the little red hen ate the bread all by herself." What has the ending done?
  • A.Started a new problem
  • B.Introduced a new character
  • C.Shown what happened because of the others' choices
6.What is the main job of the beginning of a story?
  • A.To tell how the problem is solved
  • B.To introduce the characters and where they are
  • C.To list the pages
7.Which line is most likely to end a fairy tale?
  • A.Once upon a time, there was a giant.
  • B.Long ago, a giant lived on a hill.
  • C.And from that day on, the giant never came back.
8.A story starts "Once upon a time...". What does that tell you?
  • A.It is a made-up tale set long ago
  • B.It is a list of facts
  • C.It is a true news report

LessonPrint · RL.2.5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Once Upon a Time

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Tells the reader when the story happens and hints at what is coming
  2. 2.The story is over and the problem is solved
  3. 3.The problem getting bigger and the characters trying to fix it
  4. 4.Readers know at once what kind of story it will be
  5. 5.Shown what happened because of the others' choices
  6. 6.To introduce the characters and where they are
  7. 7.And from that day on, the giant never came back.
  8. 8.It is a made-up tale set long ago

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.2.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.